Maybe you just woke up one day and realized, “is this really my life now? I don’t want it to be like this anymore.”

Maybe you went on vacation and when you looked out over The Grand Canyon, or the Smokey Mountains, or the Florida Everglades, or the New York City Skyline, you had a great moment of clarity.

Maybe you caught him cheating.

Maybe your daughter watched him wrap his arms around you and attempt to throw you to the ground. Maybe her cries of fear and rage finally broke through the fog.

You know what fog I’m talking about, don’t you? That fog that slowly worked its way around your brain and your heart — that fog that protected you from his harsh words and his lies. That fog that made your life a little bit more bearable.

Maybe you just got sick and tired of constantly hearing that you aren’t good enough; that you aren’t lovable or beautiful enough; that you aren’t worthy of more. Maybe you believed that for a little while, or for a long while.

Maybe a part of you still believes it.

Maybe you let go of your pride and went to the police, to the courthouse, to a women’s shelter and begged for help.

Maybe they helped you. Maybe no one did. Maybe you helped yourself.

Maybe you finally broke down and told your mother, or your sister, or your best friend, or maybe all three. Maybe you told them that you had been living a lie for so long that you didn’t even know the truth anymore.

Maybe you finally uttered the word that you had shied away from for so long. Maybe you finally admitted it.

Abuse.

Maybe the police told you that they couldn’t help you because there were no marks on your body. Maybe they couldn’t see the scars that run underneath your skin. The scars that the hateful words and the lies and manipulations had left buried so deeply that you don’t know if they will ever fully heal.

Maybe you stayed far longer than you should have because you felt like you didn’t have a choice. Maybe you felt like you had no where to go or had no way to support yourself when you went.

Maybe you got a job. Maybe someone reached out and offered you a helping hand when you needed it the most.

Maybe someone saw you crying in the break room; in the restroom; in the hallway; on the side of the road, and they stopped and asked you what was wrong.

Maybe you opened up to a complete stranger and they had the answers that no one else had.

Maybe someone took a chance on you and gave you the one thing that you needed to gain the courage to walk away.

Maybe you watched your children change from innocent and carefree little humans into worried and fearful little humans. Maybe they went behind you and fixed things so Daddy wouldn’t get mad about it when he got home.

Maybe a line in a book, or a movie, or a song made you question your life in a way you had never questioned it before.

Maybe you were told that a good woman, a good wife never gives up; never walks away. Maybe you were told that marriage and love were hard and that, like anything worth having, it was worth fighting for. Maybe you believed it. Or maybe you stopped listening.

Maybe you fought with everything you had in you. Maybe you fought to make it work. Maybe you fought to keep a smile on your face through it all. Maybe you fought to get free.

Whatever you did, just know that I am you and that I love you. Know that you are worth more than the slaps and the hateful words and the constant pain makes you feel. You are worthy of a love that uplifts you and never drags you down. You are beautiful and strong and courageous and you deserve better.

You can rise above this situation. You don’t have to be his victim anymore. You can be victorious.

The God I know is a God of absolute love, and he doesn’t want you to be miserable. He doesn’t want to see your spirit broken or your value diminished. He wants to see you free and uplifted and glorious.

You are a woman who is worthy and no one can take that from you. You have the power to stand on your own and proclaim, “no more of this. I am better than this. I am worth more than this.”

You are a woman who is infinitely and deeply adored and loved by so many. And that is the love that is worth fighting for.

You’ve got this. You are strong enough. You are enough.

If you are someone or know someone who may be in a domestic abuse situation please contact Steps to HOPE at 828-894-2340 or go to the website at StepsToHope.org.

Hannah E. Short